Antifriction bearing caster



Jung 6, 1933. A. E. RICE ET AL 1,912,795

ANTIFRICTION BEARING CASTER Filed Feb. 28, 1951 Patented June 6, 1933 i'UNITED STATES Y ALBERT E. RICE AND ADELBEl-T FORI) RICE, GF CLEVELAND,OHIO airfrrraofrron BEARING cas'rica Application filed February 28,1931. Serial No. 519,207.

The caster` comprising the present inven- `tion` is primarily adaptedfor use'in con- "Which form the substantial part of every Well equippedbusiness office, and` also in connection With articles of householdequip` ment such as bedroom and living room suites, radio cabinets,refrigerators, pianos and other sundry furnishings. The principles ofthe invention, however, are applicable to other uses in stores,Warehouses, and in fact, wherever such anti-friction caster devices aredesired.

One form of the invention is primarily concerned with casters of theroller ball bearing type, While another form is concerned with rollerwheel sleeve type of caster, tivo forms of the invention being shown.However, the invention conteniplates still further modifications Withoutdeparting from the essential spirit of the same.

"Many of theabove mentioned articles of furniture, particularlysucharticles as. are employed in business oiices are provided withadjusting mechanism whereby the height of the same may be variedthrough-` out a very limited margin.' These articles are displayed onthe shovv room floor Without casters so that they appear to have aheight Which is less than the minimum height providedfor inV actual use.`When ordinary casters are applied to the article, which, for thepurposeof illustration will be assumed to be a chair, an inch, more or less,may be added to the `overall height of the chair. The degree ofadjustment permitted Vby the adjusting `mechanism being limited, nofurther compensationfor reducf ing the height of the chair to its normalheight is available and as a result it not infrequently happens that thechair does not suit thetastes of the user.

It is to remedy the above outlined limitation `of utility that thepresent invention has been developed. the provision ofa caster whichdoes not materially increase the overall height of the chair theadjusting mechanism `ordinarily provided, remains Within the normallimits of everyday use.

To accomplishjthe objects outlined, the invention contemplates theprovision of 'a caster which is 'of underslung construction to reduce toa minimum `the lowest height to which the `chair or other article may bead-Y justed.

Vhere the ordinary 'casters novv in every-` day use areemployed, Whetherthese casters be ofthe roller ball bearing type or Whether they be ofthe roller steel sleeve type,`these casters are conspicuously displayedat the base ofthe article on Which they are mount! ed.V Such casters notonly present anjavvliward appearance but are continually coniing intocontact With other articles of furniture or with the base boards of theroom thereby resulting in marring or damage tov the articles or the base`boards or,V indeed, at times to the casters themselves.

Accordingly,an additional object ofv the present invent-ion is theprovision of an underslung caster of compactl arrangement of parts which,is attractive in itsappearance, but which is not conspicuous and whichwill blend ivith any manner of style of article to which it is applied;j, j

Yet another object of the invention is to providea caster lvvhich may bereadily and permanently applied to the article Without danger of thesame becoming dislodged.

Convenience of'arrangement of parts, sim-Y plicity in design,ruggedness'and comparative inerpense of manufacture, 'are furtherdesiderata that havebeen borne in mind in the production and developmentof the in.- vention. j "f `Other objects of the invention, not at thisAtime more particularly enumerated, Will be# come `more readily apparent,as the nature of the invention is better understoochand the saineconsists inthe novel construction, combination and arrangement of partsshown in the accompanying single sheet of drawing, in which 1 Figurelrepresents a side elevationof a caster as attached to a piece offurniture.

Figure 2is a sectional view showing `the construction of one form ofcaster, andthe manner `in ivhicli itis secured to the` article offurniture.

wheel which is carried by a forked yoke 11,

there being also a pintle 12, one end of which is formed into a bearingsurface or cone 13. This cone 13 projects into an opening in the yoke,this opening being located in an intermediate upper portion of the yokeand being crimped downwardly at 15 to provide an annular concave racesurface on the inner wall. This concave surface forms with the bearingsurface of cone 13, a complete bearing race in which arerpositionedantifriction bearings 14. It will be seen that the portion 13 of theyoke 11 is underslung relatively 'to the wheel 10, that is, it ispositioned at a distance above the floor no greater than the height ofthe wheel, so that the anti-friction bearings 14 are positioned in aplane substantially even with the height of the wheel for purposes whichwill be hereinafter set forth. The lower end of the pintle, that is, thecone portion 13, is provided with a threaded socket 12 in which isreceived a screw 13. A lock washer 14 is disposed between the head ofthe screw 13 and the complementary cone 15', the screw 13 therebyserving to attach the complementary cone 15 to the lower surface of `thecone 13.

J However', the connection is such that the yoke 11 will of course befreely rotatable. The complementary cone 15 has its edges crimpedupwardly and over the bearing portion 15 of the yoke 11 to completelyenclose the bearings 14 in a housing which will obviously serve as aprotection against admission of foreign material, while ypermitting theyoke 11 to freely rotate, as has been previously described.

It will be seen that the bearings 14 carry the weight of the chair orother load; and as will be seen, these bearings are positionedbackwardly of the wheel at a pointnot higher from the Hoor than theheight of the wheel. This lowers the center of gravity so that the wheelwill not tend to nose into the floor and permits easier swivelling ofthe caster.

The pintlc 12 terminates ina head 16, the shank 12 being grooved asindicated at 17 to form a iiange beneath the head 16.

It will be understood that the article of furniture 18, which may be achair or any other piece of furniture, is recessed at 19 for thereception of the pintle 12, there being inserted in the recess 19, amember 2() which may be designated as a pintle receiving member, thismember 2O being provided with. a flange 21 which is provided with thepointed projections or spikes 22 for interlocking the member 20 with thearticle of furniture, as clearly shown in the drawing. The upstandingportion of the member 2t) is provided with slots indicated at 23, thisupstanding portion of the member 20 being resilient and being inwardlytapered at its end as indicated at 24.

This construction permits the end 24 to be pressed outwardly by the head16 as the pintle 12 is inserted through the member 20, the end 24 of themember 20 then snapping back into its original position, and intoengagement with the underneath side of the head 16 to secure the shank12, and accordingly the yoke 11 and caster 1() in position. Theprojections 22 firmly secure the member 2O in place, so that the casteris substantially permanently held in its position on the article offurniture 18.

It will be apparent that the yoke 11 is turnably mounted on the bearingsurface 13, and that this turning action is greatly facilitated throughreduction of friction because of the action of the balls 14.

Figures '1 and 5 show a somewhat modified form of construction, thesefigures shov'- ing a yoke 11aA turnably mounted on pintle 12a, which isprovided with a flanged head 165/., in general similar to the head 16above described, although it may be of a [lat form, as indicated inFigures 2 and 4.

The pintle receiving member 20a is provided with a depending fiange 21a.and the projections 22a, similar to the projections above described.

The upstanding portion of the member 2011/ provided with slots 23a andthe inwardly tapering resilient portion 24aY which is adapted tointerlock with the head 16a, similarly as described before. Tt will beunderstood that as the pintle 12a is inserted in the tapering portion24a of the member 20a, this portion 24al will be expanded until the head16a has passed through it, when the portion 24al will ret-urn to itsoriginal. position andA snap in the fiange 17a beneath the head 160;.The member 20a is also provided with a plurality of transversely alignedapertures 25, conveniently located adjacent the inwardly taperingportion 24a, the purpose of which apertures 25 will hereafter becomeapparent.

As shown on the drawing, there is also very conveniently supplied inaccordance with this form of construction, the member 26, which-iscomplementary to the member 20a, this member 26 being provided with theupstanding portion 27 which is adapted to fit closely within theupstanding portion of 4the member 20a when the pintle 12a is inserted.For this purpose, the portion 27 is made yielding, and is inserted in aninwardly tapering manner as shown in Figure 4, the portion 27 beingprovided with the pointed projections 28 which `serve as interlockingspikes for the member' 27, these projections 28 being adapted to passthrough the apertures 25 when the pintle 12a `is inserted, and topenetrate into the material of the article of furniture 180,.

The complementary member 26 also surrounds the flange 21a of the member20a, the upper portion of this member 26 heilig bent over the flange 21,as indicated at 29, so that the members 20a and 26 are firmly securedtogether. The member 26 is also provided with the pointed projections30, similar to the projections 22a and serving likewise as interlockingspikes for insertion into the article of furniture 18a.

As will be seen from the drawing, the shank 12a is provided with anintermediate flange 31, and for the purpose of reducing friction as thepintle 12a and the yoke 11a turn, there is provided a bearing 32 whichengages the flange 31 and the yoke 11a, as shown on the drawing, themember 32 being provided with a flanged portion 32a which is insertedbetween the yoke 11a and the member 26 forming an additional bearingsurface or face. rl`his member 32 is desirably formed of a selflubricating metal, of the well known varieties, so that there will be acontinuous .supply of lubrication for antiskid fri'ctioi'i purposes,thus assuring at all times ready operation of the caster 10a and thepint-le 120,. The shank 12a is swaged as shown at 33, against the washer34, which prevents the easter carrying member 11a d()` from disengagingfrom the pintle 12a; and because of the self lubricating character ofthe flange 32a, friction around the yoke 11al is reduced to a minimum.

lt will be seen that as the pintle 12a and the bearing member 32 areinserted into the member 26, the inwardly tapering portions 27 thereof,will be forced outwardly, and the spikes 26 will be forced intoengagement with the article of furniture 18a.

As the head 16a of the pintle 12a is further inserted, it will engagethe tapering portion 24a, of the pintle receiving member 20a, and causethis inwardly tapering portion to eX- pand until the head 16a haspassedthrough the inwardly tapering portion 2da., which portion then,because of its resiliency, tends to resume its original position, andthus snaps into place in t-he flange 17a `beneath the head 16a. It willthus be seen that the pintle 12a, the complementary member 26, thebearing member 32, and the member 20a are all mutually interlocked in asubstantially inseparable relationship, so that the caster 10a will bepermanently held in position. r

f It will thusbe seen that there is provided a very durable article ofthis character, all the 'parts of which are very simply and readilymade, and consequently cheap to manufacture, and which are very firmlysecured together to perform their cooperating functions. yIt willbeapparent that many changes in Ithe specific details of the constructionof the article herein specifically described and illustrated may be madewithout departing from the inventive concept, and it will be understoodthat it is intended and desired to embrace within the scope of thisinvention such modifications, changes as may be required to adapt it tovarying conditions and uses.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a caster construction, in combination, a yoke, a wheel rotatablysupported by the yoke between its fork ends, said yoke comprising anintermediate upper portion of annular form crimped downwardly to providean annular concave race surface on its inner wall, a pintle for securingthe caster in position in an article of furniture to be carried by thecaster, the pintle terminating at its lower end in an enlarged invertedfrusto-conical projection defining a ball race between itself and thesaid concave race sur face, balls positioned in the race to relievefriction between moving parts, a second frusto-conical member secured tothe inverted frusto-conieal member and having its ends upturned toenclose the lower portion of the downwardly crimped portion of the yoketo form a housing completely enclosing the balls and sealing the race,thereby protecting them from foreign materials while allowing rotationof the yoke, the said housing having its sides bent into substantiallyright angles to define the race.

2. Ina caster co struction, in combination, a yoke, a wheel rotatablysupported by the yoke between its fork ends, said yoke com prising anintermediate upper portion of anilo nular form crimped downwardly toprovide an annular concave race surface on its inner wall, a pintle forsecuring` the caster in position in an article of furniture to becarried by the caster, the pintle terminating` at its lower end in anenlarged inverted frustoconical projection defining a ball race betweenitself and the said concave race sur` face, balls positioned in the raceto relieve friction between moving parts, a second fuiste-conical membersecured to the inverted frusto-conical member and having its endsupturned to enclose the lower portion of the downwardly crimped portionof the yoke to form a housing completely enclosing the balls and sealingthe race, thereby protecting them from foreign materials while allowing`rotation of the yoke, the aforesaid rra lao

feo

construction boing rearwardly offset at a. substantial distance from theWheel, and being positioned at a distance from the Hoor not more thanthe height of the Wheel.

n testimony whereof We aix oni` signatures.

ALBERT E. RICE. ADELBERT FORD RIC-E.

